When You’ve Been Injured in a Truck Accident—What You Need to Know

Car accidents because of human error steal millions of otherwise healthy lives every year. Scores of Americans are injured from them, and if they’re lucky, they start down a path of recovery that doesn’t take years. If a car driver takes the wheel while fatigued and ends up plowing into someone, that person can die on the spot, or they can end up in the hospital with injuries, both mental and physical, that may never go away. If cars do this kind of damage, what do you think a truck could do to a person? Too many people can tell you what. They’ve been the victims in these types of accidents. If you’ve been injured in a truck accident, know what you should do to hold the truck driver liable and protect yourself.

Here are some pointers to help you take the right actions in avoiding any type of accident with trucks, as well as some points about what to do if you’re involved in a truck accident.

Causes of Truck Accidents

There are multiple causes of truck accidents. Interestingly, many passenger cars are to blame for causing collisions. The drivers of these cars generally underestimate how fast a truck can react in a given situation; that misjudgment can cost them dearly. Visibility seems to also be another problem area. For truckers, they can’t always see everything around them as easily as a car driver or an operator of a smaller vehicle can, for obvious reasons. A trucker’s blind spots include the space directly alongside the truck and the space directly in the back. There’s no way they can get an eagle’s eye view of those sections, which means vehicles sidling them run the risk of being involved in a collision with them.

Some other reasons, according to FindLaw, include when cars change lanes directly in front of the truck. That’s a very big risk because if something goes wrong with the car’s timing, it could spell calamity. There’s no way that truck can stop on a dime to readjust itself for the car. The same could be said regarding driving between two trucks. It’s extremely dangerous since, again, if the timing is off and if one of the trucks moves closer, shortening the gap, then that could spell near-total disaster, instantly.

Types of Truck Accident Injuries

Trucks weigh many tons more than cars, by some estimates, between 25 and 40 times more, which means they can have a deathly consequence upon impact. Tractor-trailers, in particular, are notorious for being lethal vehicles. While you could rightfully call all trucks death machines, they really aren’t responsible for a huge number of fatalities each year, although the few accidents they are involved in are far more dangerous overall than the damage caused by a car. In fact, according to data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, large trucks were liable for just over 4,000 fatal crashes during the 2014 to 2015 period; that did represent an increase over the previous period, however.

For the survivors of a truck accident injury, they may face a long period of getting themselves back together again, enduring endless rounds of rehabilitation therapy. It’s not uncommon for victims to experience dislocated discs and neck injuries, broken bones and severe head trauma. There could be severe internal damage done and life-altering brain trauma, as well. A person’s ribs might suffer damage in addition to their torso. These are just some of the types of injuries, but there are many more, which is why it’s important to be treated immediately for your medical issues if you’re ever involved in such a devastating accident.

What Happens After an Accident

After a truck accident injury, like in a car accident, gather all the details about the incident, including witness statements, and call the police. If harm was done to you, you’ll face astronomical medical bills, and you’ll likely need to initiate a personal injury lawsuit. There’s no way to handle the intricacies of such an accident alone. Like a good insurance agent who helps you make sense of your claim, there are truck accident lawyers who can help you with the nitty-gritty of proving your case and establishing negligence and even going after the trucking company, if necessary, so that you can walk away with a considerable jury verdict.

Final Point

As you travel the roadways, be extremely careful around trucks. They’re larger than your car and weigh at least 10 times more, so let them have the space they need.

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